How do you classify a wound that has torn skin with minimal bleeding?

A wound that has torn skin with minimal bleeding is classified as a laceration. Lacerations are irregular, jagged wounds resulting from the tearing of skin and underlying tissues. They can vary widely in depth and may involve deeper tissue layers, but they are characterized primarily by their torn edges rather than a clean cut.

In contrast, an incision refers to a clean and smooth cut made by a surgical instrument, which typically results in more bleeding due to the precise nature of the cut. An abrasion involves the scraping away of the outer layer of skin, often leading to surface-level wounds with minimal depth and usually minor bleeding as well. A puncture is caused by a sharp object penetrating the skin, which may also lead to minimal external bleeding yet usually involves deeper structures without tearing the surrounding tissues. Thus, the specific characteristics of a laceration—torn skin and slight bleeding—accurately classify this type of wound.